Monday, January 25, 2010

Obama Tries to Stop Political Slide

WASHINGTON, Jan 24: President Barack Obama has appointed a new senior adviser to the White House to help avoid further election losses to his Democratic Party, aides said on Sunday.

David Plouffe, Mr Obama’s presidential campaign manager, will advise the president and his team on the 2010 midterm elections.

Last week, the Democrats lost a Senate seat in Massachusetts, a predominantly Democratic state, to the Republicans, although the late Edward Kennedy had held this seat for almost 40 years.

In November, Republican candidates won back the office of governor from the Democrats in two key states of Virginia and New Jersey.

The defeats have triggered fears that the Democrats can also lose the midterm elections on Nov 2 this year, polls for all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and for 36 of the 100 seats in the Senate will be held.

A defeat in November can cause the Democrats to lose their control over both chambers of the US Congress, further weakening the chances of Mr Obama’s re-election in 2012.

Mr Plouffe is a senior adviser at the Chicago-based political firm AKPD Message and Media, the company founded by David Axelrod, now a White House Senior Adviser.

In an opinion piece in Sunday’s Washington Post, Mr Plouffe warned Democrats that “now is not the time for bed-wetting” after the party lost the Massachusetts Senate election.

“This will be a tough election for our party and for many Republican incumbents as well,” he wrote. “Instead of fearing what may happen, let’s prove that we have more than just the brains to govern — that we have the guts to govern.”

Mr Plouffe acknowledged the challenge won’t be easy because the governing party typically loses in midterm elections, but he urged courage, writing, “We may not have perfect results, but November will be nothing like the nightmare that talking heads have forecast.”

And, Mr Plouffe added, “Let’s fight like hell, not because we want to preserve our status, but because we sincerely believe too many everyday Americans will continue to lose if Republicans and special interests win.”